Rafael: Where are you? What the hell, Isa? You said you’d be here.
Rafael: After everything that’s happened will you at least let me know if you’re okay?
Rafael: Tracked down Meiying. She said you bailed for some phone call. Where are you?
I glance at the time.It’s after noon the next day. He would have come out of the locker rooms, expecting to find me waiting for him, but I wasn’t there. How long had he waited for me? God, he must be so worried. But before I can type out a response, I glance over the remaining messages.
Jordy: Way to fucking support our boy.
Then the last.
Rafael: You know what, whatever. You do you.
A fresh waveof tears pools in the corners of my eyes but I blink them away.
Natalia calls my name and I turn to her, shoving my phone into the pocket of the pants she brought for me, then I follow her to the door. On my way out, Ricardo hands me a small business card. “In case you need anything.”
The card is simple. It has the Southwest Pack crest, a triangle outline filled with Apache pines, and spread out above the trees are the five phases of the moon. Beneath the crest is a phone number. Nothing else.
I nod in thanks and shove the card into my back pocket, already knowing I won’t call.
Natalia watches the exchange with a tight-lipped frown, but she doesn’t say anything.
A pair of shifters and the man who found me meet us halfway down the hallway. I don’t recognize the two shifters with him but from scent alone I know one is a hyena like Josué, the other a lion. And the man who helped me, he is very much a wolf. A dominant one at that.
I want to thank him. He saved me. But I can’t make the words form. My heart races in my chest and I squeeze my eyes closed in a vain attempt to focus on my breathing.
What the hell is happening to me? When I open my eyes again, the man is looking down at me, confusion on his face.
I take several steps back.
Natalia turns her head to look at me, but I don’t meet her gaze. A weight presses on my chest and a spike of adrenaline hits me. Fight or flight kicks in and I for one am all for flight.
Calm down. Nothing is going to happen to you.
I know that. My mind knows that. But my heart is pounding out of my chest because three dominant males I don’t know are standing in front of me. The wolf who rescued me takes a step in my direction, his dark brown eyes flashing silver, and my muscles lock up.
My head snaps back to look him in the eyes for only a second before my wolf’s instincts have me jerking away. Dominance pours from his veins.
“Miss?” His voice is strong. Deep. And I don’t miss the flicker of worry in his gaze. He takes a measured step closer and my chest heaves. He’s approaching me like I’m some rabid animal. I need … I need …
Natalia takes two steps to her left and suddenly she’s blocking him from my view. She says something but I don’t hear it. I can’t hear anything over the roaring in my ears.
He’s not going to attack you.I tell myself again and again like a mantra that will somehow make this all better. I try to think of something else. Anything else. But then my mind latches onto Rafael and how mad he must be with me right now. How disappointed all of them are. I promised I’d be there. They’d wanted me to be there. And then I wasn’t.
Natalia tugs on my sleeve and I glance up, she guides me around the shifters, but I don’t miss their pity as she ushers me outside the exit doors.
When we’re outside I slowly start locking myself down. I hobble on my lone crutch, careful to keep my steps measured so I don’t jostle my injuries further. I block out the pain, willing my body to go numb. I’m a wolf. I’ll heal. And eventually, it’ll be like none of this ever happened.
27
Isa
Iwake with a start. My chest heaves and my eyes pop open. Daylight filters in through my bedroom curtains, letting me know it’s morning. Or maybe afternoon. It doesn’t matter.
I stare up at the ceiling, willing myself to go back to sleep. I don’t want to be awake. It hurts too much. Everything hurts.
There’s a knock at my door.
